A **bandpass signal** is a type of signal that exists within a specific range of frequencies, known as the "band," and has little or no energy outside that range. These signals are crucial in various fields, such as telecommunications, radio, and signal processing. To understand a bandpass signal more concretely, let's consider an example.
### Example of a Bandpass Signal: FM Radio Transmission
FM (Frequency Modulation) radio signals are a classic example of a bandpass signal.
- **FM radio stations** broadcast over a specific frequency range, typically from 88 MHz to 108 MHz.
- Each radio station is assigned a specific **carrier frequency** within this range, for example, 100.5 MHz.
- The modulated signal (the actual sound or information being transmitted) is added to this carrier, and the resulting signal occupies a small frequency band around the carrier frequency.
For instance, if a radio station broadcasts at 100.5 MHz, its signal may occupy frequencies from 100.4 MHz to 100.6 MHz. This means the signal bandwidth is 0.2 MHz (200 kHz) centered at 100.5 MHz. This specific range, from 100.4 MHz to 100.6 MHz, is the bandpass region.
### Key Features of FM Radio Bandpass Signal:
1. **Carrier Frequency**: 100.5 MHz (this is the center of the band).
2. **Bandwidth**: 0.2 MHz (the range of frequencies where most of the signal energy is concentrated).
3. **Low Energy Outside Band**: Energy outside this band (below 100.4 MHz and above 100.6 MHz) is very minimal or non-existent.
The reason this is considered a bandpass signal is that it passes through a limited range of frequencies (the band around 100.5 MHz) and is filtered out of lower and higher frequencies.
### Other Examples of Bandpass Signals:
- **Cellular signals**: Mobile communication, like 4G or 5G, transmits information in specific frequency bands allocated by regulators (e.g., 700 MHz, 1800 MHz).
- **Wi-Fi signals**: Operate in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, with each Wi-Fi channel occupying a small frequency range.
- **Television broadcasting**: TV channels occupy certain frequency bands in the VHF (Very High Frequency) and UHF (Ultra High Frequency) regions.
In summary, a bandpass signal like an FM radio transmission only exists within a specified frequency band (the "passband") and is essentially zero outside that band.